Forget the fear of flying. In the upcoming six-episode thriller “Nightsleeper,” the real danger awaits on a train travelling from Glasgow to London.
“When we were developing the show, we got all these experts in one room and asked: ‘How do you hack a train?’ An hour later, they said: ‘This is scary. We could easily do it now, between ourselves’,” says writer Nick Leather.
“We will do for trains what ‘Jaws’ did for sharks.”
Produced by Fremantle’s Euston Films and set to premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2024, “Nightsleeper” is directed by Jamie Magnus Stone and John Hayes.
While Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) at the U..K’s National Cyber Security Centre is trying her best to stop the train, some remaining passengers also join forces – including off-duty cop Joe Roag (“Peaky Blinders” actor Joe Cole). But they only have six hours and one satellite phone.
“When we were developing the show, we got all these experts in one room and asked: ‘How do you hack a train?’ An hour later, they said: ‘This is scary. We could easily do it now, between ourselves’,” says writer Nick Leather.
“We will do for trains what ‘Jaws’ did for sharks.”
Produced by Fremantle’s Euston Films and set to premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2024, “Nightsleeper” is directed by Jamie Magnus Stone and John Hayes.
While Abby Aysgarth (Alexandra Roach) at the U..K’s National Cyber Security Centre is trying her best to stop the train, some remaining passengers also join forces – including off-duty cop Joe Roag (“Peaky Blinders” actor Joe Cole). But they only have six hours and one satellite phone.
- 11/27/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The BBC has released two first-look images from its upcoming real-time thriller ‘Nightsleeper.’
The story is about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London, and a government agency’s frantic efforts to intervene in the rapidly-escalating events onboard. Can two people who’ve never met, one on the train and one not, work together to save the lives of its disparate group of passengers as the Heart of Britain overnight service hurtles towards what might quite literally be its final destination?
Alexandra Roach (The Light in the Hall) and Joe Cole (Gangs of London) lead the cast of the suspense thriller, written by BAFTA award-winning writer Nick Leather (Murdered For Being Different) from Fremantle’s Euston Films, coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2024.
Roach plays Abby Aysgarth, the Acting Technical Director at the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, who’s finally about...
The story is about the hacking of a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London, and a government agency’s frantic efforts to intervene in the rapidly-escalating events onboard. Can two people who’ve never met, one on the train and one not, work together to save the lives of its disparate group of passengers as the Heart of Britain overnight service hurtles towards what might quite literally be its final destination?
Alexandra Roach (The Light in the Hall) and Joe Cole (Gangs of London) lead the cast of the suspense thriller, written by BAFTA award-winning writer Nick Leather (Murdered For Being Different) from Fremantle’s Euston Films, coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2024.
Roach plays Abby Aysgarth, the Acting Technical Director at the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, who’s finally about...
- 11/22/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
‘Supa Team 4‘ is a new Netflix series that follows four teenage girls living in a futuristic version of Lusaka, Zambia, who are recruited by a retired secret agent to save the world. The series is created by Malenga Mulendema, a Zambian filmmaker and writer, and it is the first superhero series to be produced in Africa.
It also features spectacular animation and a frenetic pace of editing.
The four girls in ‘Supa Team 4’ are all very different, but they are all united by their desire to make a difference in the world.
‘Supa Team 4’ is a fresh and exciting superhero story that is sure to appeal to fans of all ages. The series is full of action, adventure, and humor, and it features a diverse cast of characters that represent the richness and diversity of Africa.
Plot
Four teens are just trying to survive secondary school when...
It also features spectacular animation and a frenetic pace of editing.
The four girls in ‘Supa Team 4’ are all very different, but they are all united by their desire to make a difference in the world.
‘Supa Team 4’ is a fresh and exciting superhero story that is sure to appeal to fans of all ages. The series is full of action, adventure, and humor, and it features a diverse cast of characters that represent the richness and diversity of Africa.
Plot
Four teens are just trying to survive secondary school when...
- 7/20/2023
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid - TV
Peaky Blinders and Gangs of London star Joe Cole has been cast as lead in real-time BBC thriller series Nightsleeper.
He’ll play opposite Alexandra Roach (The Light in the Hall) in the drama, which is from Nick Leather. Filming is underway in Glasgow, Scotland.
The BBC first announced the show in December, as we reported here. Set on a sleeper train from the Glasgow to London, the real-time drama follows a government agency desperately trying to intervene as events rapidly escalate onboard. Two strangers (Cole and Roach) are forced to work together to save the lives of disparate group of passengers, as the train hurtles towards “what might quite literally be its final destination.”
Also starring are Alex Ferns (The Devil’s Hour), Sharon Small (The Bay), James Cosmo (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), David Threlfall (Shameless), Daniel Cahill (The Control Room), Lois Chimimba...
He’ll play opposite Alexandra Roach (The Light in the Hall) in the drama, which is from Nick Leather. Filming is underway in Glasgow, Scotland.
The BBC first announced the show in December, as we reported here. Set on a sleeper train from the Glasgow to London, the real-time drama follows a government agency desperately trying to intervene as events rapidly escalate onboard. Two strangers (Cole and Roach) are forced to work together to save the lives of disparate group of passengers, as the train hurtles towards “what might quite literally be its final destination.”
Also starring are Alex Ferns (The Devil’s Hour), Sharon Small (The Bay), James Cosmo (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), David Threlfall (Shameless), Daniel Cahill (The Control Room), Lois Chimimba...
- 4/23/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
The top honorees at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards were plays that focused on cultures outside of London. “My Neighbour Totoro,” which is based on the beloved Japanese film of the same name from Studio Ghibli, won six trophies, the most of the night, including Best New Comedy, Director, and four craft categories. A revival of the American classic “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams claimed three: Best Play Revival and for lead Paul Mescal and featured player Anjana Vasan. Meanwhile, the British-based “Prima Facie,” which is set to bow on Broadway this month and will thus compete at the Tony Awards, took home two prizes for Best Play and for star Jodie Comer.
The only other productions to win more than one trophy were all musicals. “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” won two of the top prizes: Best Musical and Best Original Score or New Orchestrations. “Tammy Faye,...
The only other productions to win more than one trophy were all musicals. “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” won two of the top prizes: Best Musical and Best Original Score or New Orchestrations. “Tammy Faye,...
- 4/3/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Two new works based on existing material dominated the nominations for the 2023 Olivier Awards, the top theatre honor in Britain. “My Neighbour Totoro” and “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” lead the play and musical fields with nine and eight bids apiece. The former is a stage adaptation of the Studio Ghibli film of the same name, brought to life in a visually stunning production featuring impressive puppetry by Basil Twist. “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” uses songs from the Richard Hawley album and new material to tell the story of three families in a Sheffield housing complex.
Revivals had strong showings, too. Director Daniel Fish’s remounting of “Rodger & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!” and the Paul Mescal-led “A Streetcar Named Desire” netted seven and six nominations, respectively. This production of “Oklahoma!” previously played Broadway and received eight Tony Award nominations, including wins for Best Revival and Featured Actress...
Revivals had strong showings, too. Director Daniel Fish’s remounting of “Rodger & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!” and the Paul Mescal-led “A Streetcar Named Desire” netted seven and six nominations, respectively. This production of “Oklahoma!” previously played Broadway and received eight Tony Award nominations, including wins for Best Revival and Featured Actress...
- 3/1/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Documentary
Channel 4-backed U.K. independent content production company Spirit Studios has teamed with James Watt, co-founder of multinational brewery BrewDog, to produce “Mission Finpossible,” a drama documentary aiming to to highlight the issues facing the world’s shark species. Humans kill over 120 million sharks a year, mainly for their fins for soup and many shark species are now under considerable risk of unrecoverable decline with some species having declined to near extinction in recent years. The shark is an apex predator and crucial to maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems.
Spirit Studios, whose previous content activism campaigns include global mental health movement #Iamwhole, will produce the documentary that will feature an original scripted element together with input from the world’s leading shark experts and archive footage. BrewDog is funding the project and will also produce an exclusive beer to raise funds for shark support groups around the world. The...
Channel 4-backed U.K. independent content production company Spirit Studios has teamed with James Watt, co-founder of multinational brewery BrewDog, to produce “Mission Finpossible,” a drama documentary aiming to to highlight the issues facing the world’s shark species. Humans kill over 120 million sharks a year, mainly for their fins for soup and many shark species are now under considerable risk of unrecoverable decline with some species having declined to near extinction in recent years. The shark is an apex predator and crucial to maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems.
Spirit Studios, whose previous content activism campaigns include global mental health movement #Iamwhole, will produce the documentary that will feature an original scripted element together with input from the world’s leading shark experts and archive footage. BrewDog is funding the project and will also produce an exclusive beer to raise funds for shark support groups around the world. The...
- 1/10/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Megaton Entertainment, an indie distribution and film sales firm, has picked up a pair of titles from Hong Kong production entities Amm Entertainment and Phoenix Waters. It is launching them at the American Film Market (AFM) this week.
Megaton is pre-selling “Chungking Mansions,” which it bills as the biggest zombie film in Hong Kong cinema history, and also as “ ’The Raid’ with zombies.” Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions.
The building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express and is possibly the richest cultural melting pot in the predominantly Chinese city. Wong is reputed to have called it a “mass-populated and hyperactive place.”
Currently in pre-production, the film is set to employ a suitably diverse cast including: Japan’s Rina Takeda (“Attack on Titan...
Megaton is pre-selling “Chungking Mansions,” which it bills as the biggest zombie film in Hong Kong cinema history, and also as “ ’The Raid’ with zombies.” Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions.
The building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express and is possibly the richest cultural melting pot in the predominantly Chinese city. Wong is reputed to have called it a “mass-populated and hyperactive place.”
Currently in pre-production, the film is set to employ a suitably diverse cast including: Japan’s Rina Takeda (“Attack on Titan...
- 11/2/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Asia Television, previously Hong Kong’s number two free-to-air broadcaster, may no longer be visible on local TV screens. But the ex-broadcaster is now being recast as a content studio, with its new offshoot Amm Global leading the charge.
The division is headed by Bizhan Tong, a Chinese-British former banker turned filmmaker (“The Escort”). He joined the company after directing “Lockdown,” a U.K.-Hong Kong co-venture film produced and co-financed by Tong’s Phoenix Waters Productions, Hong Kong asset management firm Yg Capital, and Amm Global. International sales are handled jointly by Amm Global and US firm OneTwoThree.
The movie, being launched at FilMart, is a pandemic-era thriller in which an actor must keep passing devious tests set by a casting director in order to keep the people around him alive. As events escalate and more people are trapped the actor must confront his past, overcome his present, and...
The division is headed by Bizhan Tong, a Chinese-British former banker turned filmmaker (“The Escort”). He joined the company after directing “Lockdown,” a U.K.-Hong Kong co-venture film produced and co-financed by Tong’s Phoenix Waters Productions, Hong Kong asset management firm Yg Capital, and Amm Global. International sales are handled jointly by Amm Global and US firm OneTwoThree.
The movie, being launched at FilMart, is a pandemic-era thriller in which an actor must keep passing devious tests set by a casting director in order to keep the people around him alive. As events escalate and more people are trapped the actor must confront his past, overcome his present, and...
- 3/15/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
First project, suspense thriller Lockdown, was filmed across five countries during the pandemic.
Hong Kong’s oldest broadcaster Asia Television (Atv) is returning to production with a slate of film and TV projects developed in partnership with UK production company Phoenix Waters Productions.
The first project, suspense thriller Lockdown, has already wrapped and is in post-production after shooting during the pandemic in the UK, US, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan. The primarily English-language film revolves around an actor who enters a video audition and must pass a series of tests to keep those around him alive. Some of his alt-right...
Hong Kong’s oldest broadcaster Asia Television (Atv) is returning to production with a slate of film and TV projects developed in partnership with UK production company Phoenix Waters Productions.
The first project, suspense thriller Lockdown, has already wrapped and is in post-production after shooting during the pandemic in the UK, US, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan. The primarily English-language film revolves around an actor who enters a video audition and must pass a series of tests to keep those around him alive. Some of his alt-right...
- 12/23/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Craig Charles claims he was very instrumental in bringing the first black family to 'Coronation Street'. The actor has played cabbie Lloyd Mullaney in the ITV1 soap for seven years and the plan was to introduce his family during last year's 50th anniversary celebrations, but he was too busy filming sci-fi show 'Red Dwarf'. But now Lloyd has been joined by ex-girlfriend Mandy Kamara (Pamela Nomvete) and a daughter he never knew existed, Jenna Kamara (Krissi Bohn), and he says it was his idea to bring them in. He told The Voice newspaper: ''I actually suggested a black family to scriptwriters. I said,...
- 12/17/2012
- Virgin Media - TV
Coronation Street bosses have denied claims that ten characters are facing the axe from the soap. A report in The Sun today (November 3) claims that a string of cast departures are already being planned by the show's new producer Stuart Blackburn, who takes over from current boss Phil Collinson in January. Karl Munro (John Michie), Marcus Dent (Charlie Condou), Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston), Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis) and newcomer Mandy Kamara (Pamela Nomvete) are among those who were tipped as five of the ten supposedly (more)...
- 11/3/2012
- by By Daniel Kilkelly
- Digital Spy
Coronation Street fans see Lloyd Mullaney's life change forever later this month as he discovers that he is a father. The drama begins when Lloyd (Craig Charles) has a chance meeting with a former flame named Mandy in an upcoming episode. Lloyd is delighted to have the chance to catch up with Mandy (Pamela Nomvete), as he's always thought of her as 'the one that got away'. However, while he is keen to have her back in his life again, Mandy seems hesitant to revisit the past. When Lloyd persists with Mandy and pops round to her house, he is stunned to see that she has a daughter named Jenna (Krissi Bohn), who she had failed to mention in their earlier meeting. Back on the cobbles, an intrigued Lloyd tries to work out how old Jenna is. With the dates matching and Mandy's sketchy behaviour speaking for itself, Lloyd realises...
- 9/8/2012
- by By Daniel Kilkelly
- Digital Spy
Coronation Street's Lloyd Mullaney is to discover that he has a long-lost daughter in an upcoming episode. Soap insiders recently hinted that the surprise was in store for Lloyd (Craig Charles), and the story has now been confirmed on the official ITV Coronation Street website. Lloyd becomes aware of his estranged offspring when he bumps into Mandy, an old flame, who reveals the existence of Jenna, his grown-up daughter. Mandy - portrayed by Pamela Nomvete (EastEnders) - becomes a cook at the Rovers, while Jenna - played by Kriss Bohn (Law and Order UK) - works at the local hospital. Producer Phil Collinson said: "The story allows (more)...
- 7/26/2012
- by By Paul Martinovic
- Digital Spy
BERLIN -- Sometimes in April takes on the Rwandan genocide of 1994 with a story that incorporates both the big picture and a drama about a specific family. Writer-director Raoul Peck, who told the story of the rise to power and assassination of a Congolese leader in Lumumba, has the disadvantage of coming late to the subject. Along with several books about the horrifying events that left upward of 1 million people dead, several documentaries and the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda already have brought Rwanda to the screen. Undoubtedly, there are many, many stories arising from these atrocities yet to be told. But Peck's generic approach, in which one fictional tale tries to encompass the entire tragedy, falls considerably short of the mark.
In the United States, the film will air on HBO, where many people who successfully have avoided any book or movie will get exposed to the story perhaps for the first time, so this might do much good. In territories where April will get released theatrically, the film might have less impact.
The story is split between two Aprils, in 2004 and 1994, and tells the experiences of Augustin Muganza (Idris Elba). Peck contrives the makeup of his family in such a way that he can include as many horror stories as possible. Thus, Augustin is a Hutu army officer, but his wife (Carole Karemera) is Tutsi. His brother Honore (Oris Erhuero) works at a radio station known as "hate radio" that broadcasts a call to arms for Hutus to slaughter Tutsis during the three-month carnage. And Augustin's girlfriend in 2004, Martine (Pamela Nomvete), teaches at a Catholic girls school in 1994, which one of his daughters attends.
In April 2004, during the national Day of Remembrance, Augustin receives a letter from Honore, asking Augustin to visit him in prison in Tanzania, where he is about to plead guilty at the International Criminal Tribunal. Martine urges him to go. Augustin reluctantly does so, and the movie moves back and forth between the two Aprils to fill us in on what happened to the family -- and the nation.
A third sequence takes place behind closed doors in Washington, where U.S. officials debate and temporize but do nothing to stop the massacre. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Prudence Bushnell (Debra Winger) argues for action but gets nowhere. The impression left by these scenes -- that blame for nonintervention lies solely with the U.S. government and not other U.N. member states, including European powers with genuine stakes in the region -- is simplistic and misleading.
The film captures the tensions and fears as chaos rages in the streets and includes more than enough sequences of mass murder to get across the point that madness gripped the entire nation. However, none of its characters is sufficiently developed so that an audience really can identify with him, which is what makes Hotel Rwanda so much more powerful. Dialogue often deteriorates into speeches, and characters habitually make geopolitical points.
This Berlinale has its share of movies about ethnic carnage, such as Amu, about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, and Massacre, about the Christian militia's murder of Palestinian civilians in refugee camps in 1982. Such films need to be made and seen. But they usually hit home strongest when filmmakers are willing to put as much effort into drama and character as into political posturing.
SOMETIMES IN APRIL
HBO Films
Credits: Director-screenwriter: Raoul Peck; Producer: Daniel Delume; Executive producers: Raoul Peck, Joel Stillerman; Director of photography: Eric Guichard; Production designer: Benoit Barouh; Music: Bruno Coulais; Costume designer: Paule Mangenot; Editor: Jacques Comets. Cast: Augustin: Idris Elba; Prudence Bushnell: Debra Winger; Jeanne: Carole Karemera; Martine: Pamela Nomvete; Honore: Oris Erhuero; Xavier: Fraser James; Lionel: Noah Emmerich.
No MPAA rating, running time 140 minutes.
In the United States, the film will air on HBO, where many people who successfully have avoided any book or movie will get exposed to the story perhaps for the first time, so this might do much good. In territories where April will get released theatrically, the film might have less impact.
The story is split between two Aprils, in 2004 and 1994, and tells the experiences of Augustin Muganza (Idris Elba). Peck contrives the makeup of his family in such a way that he can include as many horror stories as possible. Thus, Augustin is a Hutu army officer, but his wife (Carole Karemera) is Tutsi. His brother Honore (Oris Erhuero) works at a radio station known as "hate radio" that broadcasts a call to arms for Hutus to slaughter Tutsis during the three-month carnage. And Augustin's girlfriend in 2004, Martine (Pamela Nomvete), teaches at a Catholic girls school in 1994, which one of his daughters attends.
In April 2004, during the national Day of Remembrance, Augustin receives a letter from Honore, asking Augustin to visit him in prison in Tanzania, where he is about to plead guilty at the International Criminal Tribunal. Martine urges him to go. Augustin reluctantly does so, and the movie moves back and forth between the two Aprils to fill us in on what happened to the family -- and the nation.
A third sequence takes place behind closed doors in Washington, where U.S. officials debate and temporize but do nothing to stop the massacre. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Prudence Bushnell (Debra Winger) argues for action but gets nowhere. The impression left by these scenes -- that blame for nonintervention lies solely with the U.S. government and not other U.N. member states, including European powers with genuine stakes in the region -- is simplistic and misleading.
The film captures the tensions and fears as chaos rages in the streets and includes more than enough sequences of mass murder to get across the point that madness gripped the entire nation. However, none of its characters is sufficiently developed so that an audience really can identify with him, which is what makes Hotel Rwanda so much more powerful. Dialogue often deteriorates into speeches, and characters habitually make geopolitical points.
This Berlinale has its share of movies about ethnic carnage, such as Amu, about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, and Massacre, about the Christian militia's murder of Palestinian civilians in refugee camps in 1982. Such films need to be made and seen. But they usually hit home strongest when filmmakers are willing to put as much effort into drama and character as into political posturing.
SOMETIMES IN APRIL
HBO Films
Credits: Director-screenwriter: Raoul Peck; Producer: Daniel Delume; Executive producers: Raoul Peck, Joel Stillerman; Director of photography: Eric Guichard; Production designer: Benoit Barouh; Music: Bruno Coulais; Costume designer: Paule Mangenot; Editor: Jacques Comets. Cast: Augustin: Idris Elba; Prudence Bushnell: Debra Winger; Jeanne: Carole Karemera; Martine: Pamela Nomvete; Honore: Oris Erhuero; Xavier: Fraser James; Lionel: Noah Emmerich.
No MPAA rating, running time 140 minutes.
- 2/18/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.